| Abstract [eng] |
Juozas Žilevičius (1891-1985) – a Lithuanian organist, composer, musicologist, choirmaster and pedagogue, in 1929 emigrated to USA. Therefore today he is more famous as a musician of emigration. But his activity in different fields of music began already in Lithuania. One of such fields was ethnomusicologic research. Already in young years J. Žilevičius became interested in musical folklore of Lithuania, he was collecting folksongs and musical instruments. In 1920 in Kaunas he established a musicological archive that in 1927 was officially opened in Klaipėda School of Music. In this school J. Žilevičius established the folklore circle, induced young people to cherish the Lithuanian folk music, and analyse it scientifically. Later, a part of exposition was moved to USA, and another part, including the national music instruments, was destroyed during the war in Lithuania. J. Žilevičius’ ethnomusicological heritage includes a research of Lithuanian folk music instruments and songs, and enlightenment writings about musical folklore, its collectors and researchers. He was one of the first to initiate the classification of musical instruments according to their structure, he discussed the origin, ways of manufacture, was encouraging to revive them and use in continuing the national music traditions. In his opinion, kanklės was an original instrument of the Baltic origin; he also drew attention to the specifics of the songs of the Lithuanian Major, similarities between the Gregorian Choral and Lithuanian melodies. Contribution of J. Žilevičius to the research of musical folklore establishes him as one of the most professional initiators of the Lithuanian ethnomusicology. |
